Sweden’s Noc Studio has introduced Braque, a new active stereo system. The name is a clear nod to the cubist painter Georges Braque, whose work explored duality and the reduction of form. The system follows the same principles and consists of two cubic plywood speakers stacked on top of two solid steel cubes, all made in Sweden.

“A cube speaker has been on my mind for a couple of years, at least,” says Daniel Alm, founder of Noc. “The idea started coming to life when I began working more with aluminium and steel as a base. I was nerding out about the cube dimensions, which strictly relate to the driver diameter. I wanted circle-in-a-square perfection.”

Braque is powered by dual Celestion coaxial drivers and dual Hypex amplifier modules, one per speaker. It has no wireless options but is compatible with a wide range of cabled inputs. Nocs Labs handles the final tuning in Sweden with the help of musicians and engineers, aiming to recreate the most integral and open sound possible.

“Braque is about space, both physical and sonic. By working with a larger enclosure and a coaxial driver, we were able to shape a sound that’s natural, open, and honest,” adds Alm. “It reveals what’s in the recording without adding anything of its own, which is the core of our Studio Sound approach.”

Alm admits he has always been inspired by brutalist design and materials such as steel. Braque’s main challenge was translating these inspirations into a set of speakers. The result is minimal and brutalist, yet open and versatile.

“Braque opens up new possibilities for us. With its form and weight distribution, it can live in many different positions, on a stand, suspended, or integrated into a space,” Alm concludes. “I’m curious to explore how it can work in larger installations and environments.”

The Braque speakers will cost €6000 per pair and will be available starting in January.